Blue Suns
One of the "Big Three" mercenary bands operating in the Terminus Systems. They have a reputation for being both discreet and ruthlessly efficient, and as such charge a sizeable fee. They were founded by Zaeed Massani and Vido Santiago. Most Blue Suns mercenaries are human, turian, or batarian. The Blue Suns possess millions of soldiers, heavy mechs, infantry fighting vehicles and gunships, several front corporations, and (to all intents and purposes) the entire planet of Zorya, which has over 140 million inhabitants. History As they expanded in numbers and influence, the two co-founders disagreed vehemently on many issues. Finally, after arguing about whether to recruit batarians into their ranks, Vido ambushed Zaeed and shot him in the head. After this, Vido hired many batarians into the Suns, even naming Solem Del’serah his head of operations. This act was little more than a PR stunt calculated as a sign of cooperation to placate his batarian funders, and to draw away fire from potential assassination attempts. It worked on both counts and the partnership lasted up until the Reaper War. Knowing that a good logistical team is key to fielding an army, Vido diversified the Suns, selling arms, training, and supplies as often as taking contracts to fight. Even when the Suns suffered heavy losses, Vido’s entrepreneurial expertise ensured new recruits could replace the old. All that was lost was the truth -- today, only a handful of trusted mercs even know who Vido Santiago is, let alone his old partner Zaeed. Common knowledge holds that Del'serah was the founder. Holdings The Suns essentially control the planet Zorya. They enjoy nearly unlimited influence there with local politicians and judges, ensuring no other private military contractors can compete with them economically. Nearly every colony has a Suns recruiting station, if not a training camp, though this has hardly made the planet any safer. Piracy, drugs, and political violence are commonplace. The Blue Suns also owned and ran the maximum security prison Purgatory. The prison was run by Warden Kuril who claimed that it was for “the good of the galactic community”, despite his harsh methods used to maintain order, including carrying out torture, beatings and even murder (blowing prisoners out of airlocks as examples). Prisoners were also sold to vengeful victims/relatives or to groups with large enough finances, such as Cerberus. Reaper War and Aftermath The Blue Suns were convinced to join their rivals in Eclipse and the Blood Pack working under Aria T'Loak, who offered "her" mercenary forces to the galactic coalition combating the Reapers. The Suns assisted in the liberation of several planets. By the end of the war, Solem Del’serah was commanding multiple major operations in the Terminus Systems, so Darner Vosque was installed as the Blue Suns’ leader by Aria T’Loak for the retaking of Earth. The Suns ignored postwar overtures to discard their criminal elements in exchange for legitimacy -- although bribes paid in less-regulated regions of C-Space now permit them to operate openly regardless. The Citadel Council remains in debate over whether to declare the Suns as a whole to be engaged in piracy, which would bring down harsher punitive measures than even their current status. In light of criticism for their brutality, the Suns themselves suffered internal divisions, between those who supported a more relaxed attitude towards controlling combat commanders, and those who espoused an attitude of strict professionalism. Commander Del’serah fell into the latter camp, but while a majority of Suns officers claimed to operate in accordance with his views, a vocal minority began speaking out in opposition. They supported Darner Vosque, who post-war had been relegated to a subordinate position under Del’serah, as Deputy Chief Operations Officer. Despite this snub, his words still commanded great weight, due to Aria having appointed him leader during the assault on Earth. Other forces across the PMC world moved to capitalize on the ideological gap. Smaller corporations like the Poison Knives and the Leopard Battalion successfully competed for contracts on planets in traditionally Suns-dominated sectors, such as Prosperity and Hamilton. See Also 9 Commando: Noted Blue Suns unit. Crimson Suns: Members of the Crimson Chains who attached themselves to the Blue Suns during the chaos following the Reaper War. Trivia Widely regarded as one of the most self-defeating attempts at extortion is the occasion on which one Gablin ib Soltok stole weapons from the Blue Suns, declared it openly, and then tried to sell them back in exchange for not killing him. Category:Mercenaries Category:Blue Suns Category:Organizations and Businesses